Legislatures for Fledgling Arab Democracies

All eyes will be on Egypt in a few months as that nation engages in an historic constitutional convention that will have long-term ramifications for the entire region. While it clearly is a moment of great promise, the simple, sober truth is that most democracies throughout the world quickly crash within a few years. Through the centuries, we've witnessed several "still a work in progress" successes scattered among a multitude of tragicomic failures. The government façade may remain, but its internal mechanisms quickly become a crude caricature of what was once a noble, dynamic vision. If one looks deeply enough into the few successes, we can see the essential protocols that a sustainable democracy must contain.
Clearly, one needs separate and well-defined executive, legislative, and judicial branches. But it is the legislature that should always be seen as, if not the core, then certainly first among equals. The legislature should have the...(Read Full Article)